The cells of honeycombs which are filled by bees with honey and are closed by the bees with lids of natural wax are opened by removing or destroying the wax lid so that the honey can be extracted from the cells. Removing the wax lids is presently done either manually, by using removal instruments, such as removal forks, special knives or the like, which also can be electrically driven, or automatically by means of motor driven removal machines. Devices of this type are provided with electrically heated cutting edges and thermostats, in order to simplify the lifting of the lids of the cells by simultaneously melting and cutting, and obtaining a clean and smooth cutting area.
The step of removal is to be made in such a manner that, subsequent to the removal of the lids, the honeycombs can be introduced into corresponding centrifuges or similar machines for straining the honey without the necessity of any further operation steps. The time for removal of the lids is to be kept as low as possible, and the actual step of removal is to be performed in such a manner that no finishing operation will be required.
A known device for removing the wax lids closing the cells of the honeycomb uses a rotating cylinder with beating knives made from a metallic metal which are flyingly supported on the cylinder in order to cut off the wax lids from the surface of the honeycomb. The honeycomb to be released from the lids is arranged within a slide carriage and is automatically moved downward passing the rotating beating knives. The distance of the comb surface of the comb lids from the rotating beating knives is fixed, and determines the depth of removal of the lids, which depth is adjustable between approximately 20 mm and 45 mm.
This type of lid removal device including flying beating knives has considerable disadvantages for removing honeycomb lids. For example, since the surface of the lidded honey cells often is not uniformly plane but contains irregular bosses and indentations, it is impossible, in view of the fixed distance between the comb and the rotating beating knives, to avoid bossed surface areas of the honeycomb from being removed or cut too deep, and that from lower portions, the lid will not be removed sufficiently, or not at all. In this manner it is necessary to finish the honeycombs from which the lids are removed by machine by a manual operation which considerably increases the time and cost of the operation.
A further substantial disadvantage of these types of lid removal devices is that the metallic rotating beating knives cause damage on the rather soft wax cells, by smearing the opening of the cells. This is especially true when removing lids from plastic honeycombs since the full height of the cell walls are made from plastic material and, with this type of rotating beating knives, damaging of the rims of the cell openings cannot be avoided.
It has also been proven as being disadvantageous that due to the threat of accident with the metallic rotating beating knives, the lidded honeycombs cannot be manually pressed against the rotating beating knives in order to remove the wax lids either completely or partly for obtaining a finish, although the lidded honeycombs are to be positioned within the slide carriage. Adjusting the slide carriage in view of the beating knives is to be continually controlled every time the distance between the lids and beating knives alters. This would result in a time consuming finishing operation.